


Rest

by alligatorinahoodie



Series: Sherfox AU [1]
Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: AU, All about Sherlock, Fox - Freeform, Grooming, John's barely in it, Kitsune, Magic, Sherfox, Showers, Sleepy Sherlock, Slight Anxiety
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-03
Updated: 2017-03-03
Packaged: 2018-09-28 00:27:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10058978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alligatorinahoodie/pseuds/alligatorinahoodie
Summary: Sherlock decides to let himself go as John and co. have a day without him.This fic takes place between S1E2 and S1E3 (The Blind Banker and The Great Game)1st in Sherfox AU





	

**Author's Note:**

> Here I am adding my AU in the thousands of Sherlock AUs! Hope you like it. 
> 
> Stay tuned for more stories in this AU.
> 
> Started 1/17/17
> 
> \--This fic takes place between S1E2 and S1E3 (The Blind Banker and The Great Game)--

The flat was quiet this morning. The clock ticked loudly from the den. The curtains were closed but the sun still shone between the small gaps it could find. Sherlock sat at the kitchen table, going through some notes in an old journal. John sat across from him, eating a small breakfast of eggs and toast while reading the newspaper. A plate with buttered toast beside Sherlock was nibbled on but mostly ignored.

“Anything interesting?” Sherlock broke the silence, glancing over his notes.

“Unless you took an interest in a program being filmed at North Gower Street, I doubt it,” John answered without looking up. Sherlock huffed dismissively.

“Boring. Who cares?” Sherlock growled irritably.

“Well, traffic may be hell around there, in case you were thinking of going out,” John shrugged, taking a bite of his toast. Sherlock tapped the spine of the journal, thinking over his plans for the day.

 

“I wasn't planning on it,” Sherlock replied, adding something to the notes with quick scratches of the pen.

“Oh? And what  _are_ you planning today? Busy day?” John teased, taking another bite and chewing. Sherlock paused for a moment before answering with a small snap of the shut journal.

 

“Nothing really,” he answered cryptically. Before John could say another word, he slid over to his microscope. The conversation was over with. John sighed, finishing his breakfast and reading the rest of the paper. Soon, his watch beeped. John sighed again, wearier than the last, and got up.

 “No trouble today?” John questioned, sounding a bit hopeful.

“Not planning on it,” Sherlock admitted, hardly looking up.

“Well, text me if you do,” John responded with a slightly disappointed half-smile. Sherlock hummed in response, adjusting the microscope. John was halfway to the door when he stopped and turned on his heels. “Should I bring dinner after work tonight?”

“If you must,” Sherlock breathed out dramatically, complete with an eye roll. John chuckled, obviously taking that as a ‘yes.’

 

“Right. I’ll be off now,” John finally said, taking out his keys from his pocket.

“See you,” Sherlock muttered, still not looking up. John gave a half smile before returning the goodbye and finally heading out.

Instead of inspecting the slide, Sherlock sat all the way up when John was halfway down the stairs. When he heard the front door click shut, Sherlock got up from the table. He moved to the sitting room and peeked out the window. John was head to the nearest Underground station. He hadn’t forgotten anything either. He'd be gone for hours. Sherlock smiled to himself. He let the curtain fall back into place and turned to survey his surroundings.

Quiet, calm, peaceful. Normally hateful but today he needed it.

 

He let out a long, tired sigh. Mrs. Hudson was with Mrs. Turner for a much needed day trip. Today was one of Lestrade’s rare days off. John out of the way. No cases and his latest idea for an experiment could wait. No one and nothing to disturb him today. He had the flat all to himself for today. Best make good use of it.

Sherlock let out a big yawn while setting up a loud alarm on his phone. It’s been awhile since he fully let himself go. He’s been making do with sneaky half-transformations for the past week, but nothing he couldn’t snap back into at a moment's notice. Transformations take a toll after a while and Sherlock was long overdue a rest. He made his way to the sofa, plugging in his phone to the charger. The phone chirped as it was sat arms length from him. Sherlock took a step back, starting to drop his human form.

The human ears disappeared as animal ones grew on top of his head. He felt his clothes shift off as he grew smaller. Fur spread over his skin and grew thick. Within seconds, all that remained of Sherlock was a pile of clothes over a large black fox.  


Sherlock the fox shook the clothes off himself and stepped back. His four long tails flicked, pleased with himself. He shook his head and yawned. Sherlock pawed at his trousers until a dried purple and green leaf fell out. He picked up the leaf with his mouth, crushing it between his teeth. 

The leaf had a gritty, bitter taste, but it was one he grew used to centuries ago. A necessary one needed for transformation and other magic. As the leaf dissolved in his mouth, a small amount of energy flowed through him, just enough to use some magic. He made the clothes and magic leaves go away in his closet with a curt wave of his paw. That alone zapped up the rest of his energy. He needed to rest now. Sherlock turned toward his room when a thought popped into his head.

No one was here. So why hide? Sherlock turned to the sofa. It wasn't the most logical idea. The bed was more comfortable and had some security of a door, but the sofa was still good and the sun was pleasantly warm. Plus his phone was out here charging. He may as well. Sherlock jumped on the sofa, pawing his phone closer. The sun shone through the curtains a way that reminded Sherlock of how it did in his parent’s burrow as a kit. The nostalgia wasn’t lost on him. 

Sherlock curled up into a ball, tucking his fluffy tails in close. The gray-blue eyes closed peacefully. It wasn't long for the fox to fall sleep. The old clock ticked as Sherlock snored softly. Occasionally a tail or an ear would twitch as he dreamt. Hours passed. He eventually unfurled from his ball and stretched across the couch, getting comfortable for this moment.

 

 

=====================================================================

 

 

The alarm on Sherlock’s phone blared loudly. Too loudly  Sherlock opened his eyes blearily, before shutting them again. The alarm was extra loud to his sensitive ears.  He growled, still exhausted. It was too much to deal with right now. The alarm rang on. With an annoyed grumble, Sherlock blindly batted at his phone to stop making noise. 

Once the phone was silent again, he didn’t get up yet. He didn't want to get up now. Sherlock was tempted to stay there and wake up on his own terms, but the thought of John coming early made him come to his senses. Small polydactyl paw pads flexed, feeling the leather of the sofa. He huffed a great sigh. Time to get up. Arching his back from his hind legs then to his front, Sherlock stretched, smacking his mouth. He glanced down at the phone, time still lit for a moment before fading out. John wouldn’t be home for another hour. Excellent. Perfect for a quick shower and some grooming.

 

Making his way to his room at a relaxed but insistent pace, Sherlock crawled under his bed to get at one of his leaf stashes. Picking one of the top leaves, Sherlock emerged and jumped on the bed. He crunched the leaf, feeling it dissolve on his tongue. His small paws became large hands. The long snout became smaller and the tails receded into his spine. Human again. Sherlock stood up on two legs with a small yawn. Still tired. There was nothing he can do about it until John fell asleep. Then he could sleep as a fox. At least until John woke up. Grumbling himself, he made his way to the bathroom. Sherlock actually wanted a bath, feeling listless, but there was always the chance that he could get too relaxed and slip out of his transformation. Warm water tended to have that effect on him. Showers he could handle provided he half transforms while he does so. 

Sherlock actually wanted a bath, feeling listless, but there was always the chance that he could get too relaxed and slip out of his transformation. Warm water tended to have that effect on him. Showers he could handle provided he half transforms while he does so.  

Sherlock grinned to himself as he felt his fox ears and tails slip out. His nails became longer and thick body hair grew. Half transformations were extremely useful and he alone has mastered it. Sherlock didn’t consider it a great secret but watching Mycroft’s jealous face was so satisfying that it was worth making it one. The thought of it made him chuckle as he stepped into the tub and turned on the water.

 

The shower was warm and steamy. Sherlock exhaled through his nose, starting to relax. He dipped his face under the stream of water, loving the comfortable wet heat. His tails wagged together in small shakes, making sure they didn’t make a huge mess.

Sherlock washed, lathering body wash on his human skin. He was relaxed, yes, but his mind started to wander as he cleaned. Or could one call it wandering if Sherlock knew exactly where it was going? 

Sherlock has lived a long time by human standards and he’s known many, many different people. They were more often than not boring now and could be irritating for the most part. Still, no one was quite like John Watson. In the astoundingly short time they’ve met, this man continued to surprise him. That hasn’t happened in a long time and never as quickly as it happened. Which made it all the more troubling to think about John’s hypothetical reaction to discovering his secret. What would he do? Sherlock moved to the shampoo, lathering the suds onto his tails and his hair, making sure not to get soap in his ears.

 

'It's bound to happen one day, Sherlock,' Mycroft's favorite nagging reminder rang throughout his mind palace.

 

Even Molly, as non-intrusive as most magical beasts come, had been asking him questions lately.

 

'Does John know?' she asked the other day, barely out of earshot for John and Lestrade in the lab. Swallowing, Sherlock dipped into the water until the product washed off. He shook off the excess water off the tails, shaking away his thoughts. Now wasn't the time to worry about that. He told himself the same thing he told Mycroft and Molly.

'He'll find out when he finds out. If he doesn't, he won't.' That's how it always was. Barely anyone ever did either. Sherlock was careful. He was always careful. Even when he did slip up.

Despite that, the nagging reminder was hard to forget. Sherlock started conditioning, trying to think about his current actions rather than stay in his mind palace. He continued until he rinsed off completely. Turning off the water, Sherlock stepped out.

Picking up the hair dryer and placing the hair brush an arm's reach away, Sherlock sat on the toilet seat and started to dry his tails silently. It took some contortion but he managed, as usual. The dull task took some time with his already thick fur starting to grow to a winter coat. The dryer was never pleasant, though. It was always too hot or cold on his sensitive animal features. Still, making wet ears and tails disappear made him shudder and feel uncomfortable for the rest of the day. After Sherlock deemed the tails dry enough, he started brushing them.

This was the part he loved most when he groomed. It didn't pull too much unless he wasn't gentle. Even then it felt nice compared to the dryer most of the time. Like scratching an itch. Sherlock could wander into his mind palace while he focused on brushing his tails. Even though his mind returned to John's hypothetical reaction lately, it was usually a pleasant experience.

The tails were finished later than he intended to. He was so lost in the moment that he forgot that he was on a schedule. Sherlock glanced at his phone, worry prickling in his belly. John was off but he wasn't home yet. Sherlock thought through his panic before relaxing a bit. He’d forgotten to account for rush hour. He breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a bit idiotic. That gave him some extra time but not too much. Standing, Sherlock stretched and yawned again. Pajamas first, then a short nap. He made his animal features disappear before exiting the bathroom.

Throwing on his soft pajama bottoms, a worn T-shirt he got somewhere, and favorite blue robe, Sherlock reentered the den, took his phone, and laid on the sofa. He stretched his toes for a moment before settling in. Bringing his phone up, he started tapping on it. A nap would come later, he decided. A nap sounded too boring now that he moved out here. Besides, he could transform in front of John. Once John was in bed and asleep, Sherlock could sleep too.

 

 

=====================================================================

 

 

It took a half an hour to hear John's weary steps up the stairs. Either he went shopping or has carryout. The latter, judging by how much the single bag rustled. Chinese? Maybe Indian? As John made it to the threshold, Sherlock looked up to his friend.

"Welcome home," he greeted John plainly before returning his attention to the phone. Chinese it was.

"Looks like you actually moved since I left for once," John responded with a tired smile. It looked like it was a trying day for John today. He held up the plastic bag. "I got your favorite. Hungry?"

It suddenly occurred to Sherlock that he hadn’t eaten all day, other than the distracted nibbling of toast. Sherlock nodded, feeling his mouth water at the thought of his usual Chinese order, and sat up. John gave him an amused half smile and set the bag down on the coffee table. Sherlock opened the bag out and, sure enough, an order of fried rice was in there, made just as he preferred. It cooled a little but it didn't matter. Breaking the chopsticks, he started to chow down straight from the box.

 

Sherlock could feel John’s tired approving smile as he ate. John headed to his armchair, nearly collapsing with a long drawn out sigh. Sherlock swallowed the mouthful he had in his mouth, concerned. From John’s clothes and scent, John had multiple patients throw up on him today and had to argue a diagnosis with a stubborn one. John really did hate locum work, even if he tried to deny it.

“Long day?” Sherlock asked, getting up for a glass of water.

“Yeah,” John responded, not going into details. “How about you? How was your lazy day in?”

“Uneventful. You would have hated it,” Sherlock managing to stifle a yawn threatening to bubble up. He filled a glass from the tap and moved back to the sofa.

“Probably better than mine,” John shrugged, yawning a bit. Sherlock went back to his rice, taking big mouthfuls. It wasn’t long until Sherlock sputtered over his bites. Quickly, he went for his glass, taking a gulp.

 

“You know you can chew, right?” John observed with an amused grin. Sherlock glared at him for a moment before returning to his food, slower this time. He always did forget that he had cheeks as a human. John and Mrs. Hudson usually called him an animal when this happened. Sherlock felt his lip quirking up at the irony. About half way through, a thought occurred to Sherlock.

“You didn’t get anything for yourself?” John was half asleep until Sherlock spoke. He sat up a bit straighter, eyes flying open.

“Nah. I had a late lunch," he explained after processing what Sherlock said. "Besides, I’m too knackered to eat.” John punctuated his sentence with a huge yawn. Sherlock hummed his understanding, finishing up his meal. “Sorry. I’m not much fun tonight.”

“Just don’t make it a habit,” Sherlock joked with a shrug. He was still tired too and John dozing off wasn’t helping. If anything, it was making him drowsy too. “If you’re that tired, you don’t need to stay up this late.” John smiled affectionately before heaving himself up.

  
“Try not going too hard on the violin tonight then.” 

“No promises,” Sherlock replied mischievously, taking his glass to his mouth. John let out a tired chuckle.

“Right. G’night, berk,” John yawned at the last part, making his way upstairs. Once John’s door shut, Sherlock let out his ears, along with some fur and claws. His tails were uncomfortable for a moment before adjusting his pajama bottoms and letting them free. Sherlock lay back on the sofa, not caring about the mess on the coffee table for now. His tails curled around him. They were soft and fluffed nicely from his shower. Nice and warm. Sherlock sighed, closing his eyes. Finally.

 

A text came in, making Sherlock’s animal features immediately disappear. He sat up quickly, going for his phone. It was for DI Dimmock. Sherlock smiled, glad to see that DI Dimm could swallow his pride a second time so soon. Without much thought between the other, Sherlock opened the text. He didn’t expect much.

 

‘We have a thief at a hospital targeting hospital safes. They are going through the belongings of the long term sick or their loved ones. Cameras aren’t working. Interesting enough for you?’ read the text.

 

Sherlock swallowed, feeling a rush of excitement and thrill over what could be. He needed to rest today. He really did. However, the siren call of the possibilities of the case was too much to ignore. It was obvious to know that it was most probably a nurse or someone that worked in the hospital but there were too many variables that he didn't know. With a small groan, Sherlock texted back and headed to his room to change.

Any weariness Sherlock was feeling earlier was forgotten. After changing into nicer clothes, Sherlock pulled on his Belstaff and scarf. Pocketing his phone, Sherlock went off into the night.

 

London had a different smell than most places. The smog was probably one reason for it but it didn't matter. It smelled of an electric mixture of everything imaginable. Street vendors, electronics, foreign restaurants, and, most importantly, people. People were now mostly dull, but their scents. He loved their combined scents and how they mixed into the city. Invigorating. Maybe because there was something always going on. Some new deduction. A different crime. The excitement and energy of the city was downright intoxicating. Sherlock smiled to himself as he hailed a cab. The sound and bustle of the crowds.

 

Here, among humans, he was home.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! I've got another one in this AU coming! Have a good day. <3


End file.
